Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning

Full Timestaff

Mountain View, CAPosted 4 days ago

Role Overview

Kodiak is hiring a Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning. This is a full-time role in Mountain View. Part of Kodiak's Qa hiring, posted 4 days ago. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

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SpringORCompensationBenefitsBarPatentKodiakRobotics

Job description

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Kodiak is recruiting a Staff Software Engineer to join our Planning team and advance the Kodiak Driver’s ability to safely and gracefully handle complex real-world driving scenarios.

In this role, you will:

Design and develop mission planning and prediction systems for driverless operation on public roads
Develop the architecture and long-term roadmap for planning and prediction
Mentor and provide technical leadership to junior and senior engineers, raising the bar for engineering excellence across the engineering organization
Integrate engineered driving logic and machine-learning models
Develop robust models to predict the behavior of other actors, improving both safety and driving performance
Partner cross-functionally with Perception, Controls, Systems, and Simulation teams to define interfaces, requirements, and system behavior
Solve difficult real-world problems involving lane changing, merging, speed modulation, mission updates, multi-trajectory prediction, and more!

What you’ll bring:

6+ years of experience developing production-level robotics software
Strong facility with modern C++
Expertise in motion planning, trajectory optimization, graph theory, and related domains
Delivery of complex autonomous systems
Leadership through ambiguous, unsolved challenges

Bonus points if you have:

Experience deploying software on driverless autonomous vehicles
Experience improving system performance (latency, throughput, reliability) in production environments
Familiarity with simulation frameworks and data-driven development workflows
A track record of mentoring engineers

What we offer:

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
Fidelity 401(k)
Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package

California Pay Range

$200,000—$250,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed [here](https://endorsed.com/local-law-144). By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact careers@kodiak.ai with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.

About Kodiak

Kodiak

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning position at Kodiak?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Kodiak. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning position at Kodiak located?

This position is based in Mountain View. Kodiak has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning at Kodiak earn?

Kodiak has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Staff Software Engineer, Mission Planning role at Kodiak posted?

This role was posted on July 6, 2026 (4 days ago). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

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